The author (a colonel in the US Army who has served in Iraq as part of the occupation) chronicles military and political events in the city Fallujah as a kind of microcosm for the war as a whole. Constructing his narrative based on his own personal knowledge, together with journalistic sources, he describes the tactics, strategies, and confrontations in the flashpoint Sunni city from the first American civil affairs missions through the November 2004 American assault intended to "pacify" the city. While, the focus is on Fallujah, political and military events outside the city and its immediate environs that significantly impacted events in Fallujah, such as the brief military uprising of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army, are also discussed. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)